Chapter Text
You wake up in the middle of the night. Despite your tiredness, you find yourself completely unable to sleep. You get up and pace the room, examining every little item you find, until eventually you venture out to find a bathroom.
"There aren't any bathrooms," the night worker tells you apologetically. "You'll have to go to an outhouse."
You find the outhouse easily enough, and you notice how the "outside" is dimmer than it was when you came. It seems that the lights outdoors cycle between day and night; you wonder if that was a monster or a human decision.
On your way back to the house, you notice something moving in the bushes. You go to investigate, but find that the bushes are only full of leaves. You turn around to head back to the hotel and nearly have a heart attack.
“going somewhere?” Sans says.
“The bathroom!” You blurt out a little too loudly, immediately blushing. You quickly look around, and when you are sure that your little outburst hadn’t attracted any unwanted attention, you return to Sans. “What are you even doing here? Isn’t the point of me coming here so that you wouldn’t have to?”
Sans shrugs, but says nothing.
“I’m serious!” You say, trying hard not to raise your voice. “Why are you here? Do you want to get caught?”
Sans glares at you, more out of annoyance than spite. “you don’t exactly know the underground that well, and if you get stuck i’ll help you out.”
“Alphys gave me instructions,” You inform him.
“have you read alphys’ instructions?” Sans asks. “her handwriting is illegible.”
You feel there is more that he is not telling you, but you elect to ignore it. You aren’t in the mood to put up with his bullshit. You huff and push past him.
“Just hide yourself, okay?” You tell him. “I don’t want to have to tell Papyrus that his brother’s dead when he wakes up.”
Out of the corner of your eye you see Sans’ pupils disappear, but you’ve seen it before and it doesn’t bother you anymore. As much. You look forward once more and continue on your way to the house, trying to stop yourself from shaking. When you reach the door you realize you haven’t heard any footsteps. You turn around to scold Sans, but find he’s disappeared.
Huh, must be a light walker.
You return to your room, and now you definitely can’t sleep. All this planning and work you put into this and he just waltzes right in like it was nothing! The man is going to get himself killed, and if he doesn’t then there wasn’t any reason for you to be here in the first place!
It makes you want to break something, scream into a pillow, slam a door - but you don’t. You can’t. You are an adult, dammit; you shouldn’t let anyone affect you like this. Especially not some dumb, rude, annoying skeleton. The only annoying skeleton you are here for is Papyrus (and even he’s more tolerable than him .)
You throw yourself onto the bed, despite knowing full well you aren’t going to sleep.
---
The next day you check out of the little bed and breakfast - after the breakfast, of course. Before leaving, you purchase a lunch, since it will be a while before you get to your next checkpoint. You sling your bag over your shoulder and start the long hike across the Underground ruins. There are several puzzles and traps that have been disabled, but even still you know that Papyrus would have had a field day in this place.
The thought of your fallen friend makes your chest clench. You are reminded of your purpose here, and it fills you with determination.
As you walk you notice you have a constant pair of eyes on your back, and you have a feeling you know who it is. You can’t tell if he is following you because he doesn’t trust you or because he wants to protect you. You suspect the former, but if it is the latter you know it is only so you can help his brother. You don’t mind that, though. Sans doesn’t have to like you, and you don’t have to like him.
You reach the end of the ruins, and the door is wide open, letting cold, snowy air in. You wrap your coat around you tighter and fish out a pair of fuzzy gloves. How it gets so cold in an underground cavern is beyond you - not to mention how it is snowing. You push through the snow and follow the path. Every so often you’ll pass another human, wave hello to them, then be on your way; what strikes you as odd is the lack of monsters. The ruins had some monsters, albeit most of them were slaves and the rest were pretty scattered, but you had expected to see at least some out in the open... Or at least as open as it gets down here.
You put it to the back of your mind.
You walk most of the morning, if your watch is to believed, and you settle down for a lunch break in a little crevasse. You look over the instructions Alphys gave you while you eat. Sans was right about one thing, Alphys’ handwriting is horrible, but other than that the directions are pretty legible. From here you should be about ten minutes to Snowdin, Papyrus and Sans’ old home. You are curious what their old town looks like. Papyrus had spoken of it several times, but you couldn’t really picture what an underground city run by monsters would look like.
You set the papers down to enjoy the rest of your sandwich when a jogger runs by and settles down near you.
“Hope you don’t mind,” They say.
“Not at all,” You say politely, going back to your food.
“Man, it’s really coming down,” They say, looking up. You put down your sandwich and give them your attention politely. “Pretty freaky it can snow down here, right?”
You nod.
“So what’s your business down here?” They ask.
“Scientific discovery,” you say vaguely.
“Cool!” They smile. “I live here. Just up ahead, actually.”
Your eyebrows shoot up. “In Snowdin?”
They nod. “Yep! It’s a pretty awesome town. It’s got humans and monsters and all kind of junk.”
“Really,” you say, “I haven’t seen any monsters around.”
The jogger looks a little disheartened, “Yeah, they’re all kept in the town limits. Humans want to keep an eye on ‘em, ya know?”
That’s sick, but you keep your opinion to yourself. You don't know this person well enough to judge what their opinions on the issue are - though you suspect their feelings are similar to yours.
The jogger suddenly perks up. “You heading that way?"
You nod slightly.
"Well then, why don't you follow me?" They say. "I was just about to head back."
You smile and thank them. The two of you walk the rest of the way to Snowdin, making light small talk. You can no longer feel eyes on your back, or see flashes of blue out of your corner vision. You sigh in relief. Sans has at least enough sense not to follow you with another human this close. You hope that maybe he'll just leave and let you do your work. You doubt he will, but you can dream.
It takes less than a half-hour to make it to Snowdin, and you are somewhat shocked at what you find. There is a large wall with a metal gate shutting in the little city. Guards stand post outside the gate, letting only the humans in and out. You swallow hard. Even in the underground monsters aren't free. Not really.
You show your paperwork to the men at the gate. They let the two of you in and you bid farewell to the jogger.
The town inside is dreary, though the atmosphere is quite upbeat. The houses look like the ones in a holiday snow globe, and there’s even a little Christmas tree in the center of town. Do monsters even celebrate Christmas?
Despite the overall cheery demeanor, the town itself is incredibly bleak. Unlike the outside, there are monsters literally everywhere. There are more monsters here than you have ever seen in your life combined. They shuffle around, eyes on the ground, looking broken; the sickness that has permeated your life as of recent returns at full force.
“Would you look at that!” A voice rings.
A young man in a fancy overcoat accompanied by a woman in a nice dress is waving at you. He has a cigarette carelessly placed in his mouth and...
Oh no…
it’s the Travel Slavers from the elevator.
You pretend not to hear him and walk onward, only to be stopped by a hand on your shoulder.
“My sister and I were just talking about you,” he smiles. “I was actually hoping to see you again.”
You swallow down your discomfort and return a sweet smile. “Yeah, haha, I’m here. Just passing through, really. I’m actually in a hurry to get to…” Oh god, what was the name of the place with the rocks? Wetlands? Waterplace?
“You can't be leaving so soon. Why don’t you come out to dinner with us?” he asks. “There’s this nice place not too far from here. It tastes almost like surface food. Call it my apology for the way I treated you earlier.”
“Sorry, I already ate,” You tell him, trying to back away.
“Nonsense,” He says, “I insist. The food is to die for.”
“If the grease doesn’t kill you first,” The sister speaks up, and the man nudges her.
You want to roll your eyes. They honestly act a little like you and your sister, and that sickens you. The fact that they are being nice to you, that the man has obviously taken a liking to you and wants to treat you for being rude earlier… it’s so… human. These people aren’t allowed to be human! They are doing awful, horrible things and you don’t want to be associated with them in any way.
“I… I…” You stutter, at a loss. The man puts a hand on your arm and points over across the street.
“Look, it’s that place right over there,” He says, finger extended to a place labeled 'Grillbys' in bright neon lights. “Meet up with us there at around nine and I’ll treat you. Sound good?”
“Sure,” You tell him dismissively, shaking off his hand. You walk off and make your way through the town. You quickly realize how much of an outsider you are. When the monsters see you, they quickly break eye contact and scurry off. Mothers hold their children closer and older monsters scowl. You feel awful.
A little monster child bumps into you.
“Oh, I’m sorry,” You say. The little bunny jumps back and looks at you with terrified eyes. He probably expects you to hit him or something. You give him a reassuring smile. “You’re fine.”
He looks at you a little confused, and honestly a little guilty, then takes off. You give a small wave, and you notice people staring - monster and humans alike. The monsters seem flabbergasted while the humans seem insulted. You feel a blush creep up your face and quickly scurry off. You don’t like the way those humans were looking at you.
The adorable winter town is becoming more of a frozen hell the more time you spend outside, and you end up in a Library (spelled Librarby.) The woman running the place, to your surprise, is a monster. She eyes you cautiously as you enter, and you feel the same guilt that you have felt in the past.
You find the place is filled with monster literature. You read up on the history, and it’s interesting to hear it told from a monster’s perspective. Not a lot of humans enter during your stay, and you don’t find that shocking at all. The monsters seem uncomfortable with your presence, however, and you quickly take your leave.
It’s quite a bit later in the day, and the street lights are dimming quickly. You’re tired, but not quite ready to call it a night. You find a lonely corner in an alleyway and sit down. You pull your coat around you tight and snuggle into your scarf. Closing your eyes, you only plan to rest for a moment.
"Excuse me," a tiny, sad sound voice comes. You look over and see a little monster. He looks a little like Alphys, except he has no arms. He is wearing a torn up striped shirt.
You blink, then smile. The little monster shuffles and you stand up. "I'm sorry, am I in your way?"
"Ah, no I..." He sounds so scared, and you reach out to comfort the small thing only for him to stumble backwards.
“I’m sorry,” You say, inching closer. The Monster Kid cries out, batting your hands away with his head. “It’s alright, I’m not going to hurt you.” You resolve to sit on your heels, letting him calm himself down. When his panic finally subsides, he curls up and rocks on the balls of his feet. The subterranean wind blows for a long while; though the two of you are blocked from it by the walls you can still hear it howling.
“You’re in my home,” He finally mutters.
“Pardon?” You say, looking around. There isn’t much in the alley, except for a small cardboard box and…
oh…
“Oh… Oh I’m sorry.” You quickly shuffle out of his way and let him pass. He moves forward and tucks himself in under the blankets in the box. You look at him for a long time, much to his annoyance.
“What?” He snaps, suddenly aggressive. “What do you want!?”
“Nothing!” You step back, tripping over a loose stone and falling on your butt. The Monster Kid looks at you curiously, then stifles a giggle. You laugh a little too.
“I’m sorry I got in your space,” you tell him. “I was just sitting down. I didn’t mean to bother you. I’ll go now.”
“You don’t have to,” He says quickly and you stay put. “You’re… you’re the first nice human I’ve met since… since them .”
You wait for him to elaborate, but when he stays silent you don’t pry.
The more you look at him, the more pity you feel in your stomach. The kid looks to be about eleven or thirteen years old, though monster ages can be deceiving. He has dark circles under his eyes and dirt covering his face. You feel pity well up in your stomach.
You push yourself a little closer, soaking your pants bottoms in the snow. The kid looks so lonely, and sad. You wonder when the last time was that he had someone to talk to, or hell, a decent meal for that matter. Screw that prissy son of a bitch, you’re going to take this little kid out for something to eat. You reach for your wallet to check your money when you find that the lump in your pocket is no longer there.
You’ve lost your wallet.
“Ah crap!” You shout. Monster Kid flinches and you quickly correct yourself. “Sorry, kid, it’s not you, I swear. It’s just… I… I gotta go.”
You quickly get up and run out of the alleyway.
Crap!
Shit!
Alphys’ instructions - and all of your funds, for that matter - had been in there! You’ll never make it to the lab now! Even with Sans trailing you and providing tips, you are now broke! You literally can’t afford to be here.
Unless you had help…
Nope. Nun uh. Not happening. You are not going to that stuck up jerk…
But if you don’t then Papyrus will…
You sigh and stick your hands into your pockets. You don’t have much of a choice now, do you?
---
“Oh, I’m glad to see you made it,” The man says. His sister has her eyes glued firmly to her phone.
“Well, I figured since you invited me, it would be rude not to show up,” You lie.
He laughs warmly. “Of course, of course.” He leads you into the little pub and you are reminded of the bars in the city near where you live. It’s just as lively, and much to your surprise there are both monsters and humans eating here, although the monsters are mostly to one side and sitting at less furnished tables.
The man wrinkles his nose, “Yeah, that’s the only problem with this place. It’s even run by one of them. Too bad he’s not up for grabs, he’s a wonderful cook.”
You feel absolutely disgusted, but swallow it down and close your eyes. Count to three, you can do this. You open your eyes again and take a seat at a booth sitting across from the pair.
“I do not believe we have been formally introduced,” He says, giving you that odd smile again. “My name is James, and my sister here is Mary.” Mary gives a small wave, then returns to her phone. “And you are?”
You give him your name quietly.
“I like that name,” He says, grin only growing. You begin to feel sick. You don’t like this guy, you don’t even care for him, and yet here you are about to eat with him. You hate the way the bar seemed to stop when you walked in with these people, the way everyone was whispering and the monsters were clearing out. They associate you with them, and you hate that.
You have to remind yourself over and over. You’re doing this for Papyrus. For Papyrus.
A fiery monster approaches your table and you quickly order the first thing on the menu.
“I’ll have the same,” James says. Mary just points to something on the menus and the monster disappears into the kitchen.
“So, what is someone like you doing in the Underground?” James folds his arms on the table. “We don’t see many nice looking people down here.”
You bite back a snarl and keep your grin as wide as before. Huh, so this is what it’s like to be Sans.
"A bit of scientific research," you tell him.
"Oh?"
You wave your hand dismissively, "Don't bother asking for the details, my company won't allow it." Your heart is going a million miles an hour, and you hope it doesn’t show in your voice.
“So you're in the sciences?” James leans a little. “That’s fascinating.” You nod nonchalantly. “I know I can’t ask, but what is it your studying? Geology? Culture?”
You shrug. “It’s not important, I’m sure it would bore you.”
He’s more and more curious, and you feel your breathing speeding up. You take a deep breath and try to calm yourself. This next part is the crux, you can’t afford to let your nerves get to you now.
“You seem a little nervous,” James says, looking concerned. You shrug again, and thankfully the food arrives before he can ask again.
“That was fast,” You comment.
“Yeah, another good thing about this place,” James smiles. “Dig in.”
You eat rather slowly, not having much of an appetite left. Your ‘companions’ don’t seem to share this attitude, as the rush through their dinner with a ravenous pace. There is some small talk, mostly between the two siblings, but you make a few comments here and there. As they near the end of their meal, you decide that now is the time, and you begin the next part of your plan.
“So you are interested in my research?” You give a little smile, trying to look as cute as you can.
James nods and swallows, “I would love to know more about it.”
“Well, I can’t tell you much, but right now my research is in jeopardy,” You say, pouting. “You see, earlier today I got robbed.”
James gasps. “That’s terrible!”
You nod. “My company can’t wire me any money here, and without the funds, I’ll have to go back empty-handed.”
“We can help with that,” James says without thought. Mary nudges him hard and gives him a glare.
“It won’t be much,” You say quickly. “I just need enough to get to Hotland and back.”
“That will be fine,” James says, much to his sister’s dismay, “call it a small donation to the Sciences .”
You feel your spirits lift. You did it! You actually did it. The rest of dinner goes smoothly, and after having the rest of your food wrapped up in a take out box you exit the pub. When you get outside, James hands you a check; before you leave he insists on giving you his phone number and you throw it away as soon as they are gone. You secure the check in your coat pocket and zip it tight.
Now you have one more thing left to do.
You make your way back down the alley you had been sitting in before and you find the small monster curled up in his blankets, shivering.
“Hey,” you say lightly, still causing him to start. He looks at you with sleep-hazy eyes and slowly seems to recognize you. “Brought you something.”
You hand him the take out box. The food inside is mostly untouched, but the kid doesn’t seem to mind. He dives right in, balancing the box on his feet so he can grab the contents with his mouth.
You smile warmly.
“Well then, look at that, they found one!”
You spin around and come face to face with James and his sister. They are looking at you and the kid with a predatory grin.
“I was wondering where you were heading off to,” Jame says, looking much more menacing than he did at dinner. You can hear the Monster Kid whimper behind you. “Who’s the monster?”
“Just some kid,” You say, stand. “I thought-”
“And you brought it food,” He laughs. “How cute.”
You take a step back, then remember the kid behind you and halt. Why do you feel so threatened by this guy? He’s just some rich brat. You can take him if you had to. Maybe.
“I think we should take this one,” Mary says, moving forward. “It’s a little deformed, but I’m sure we can find someone looking for a pet.”
The kid is petrified with fear, and you stand in their way.
“That’s not necessary!” You shout. “He’s just a kid.”
“Easier to break in this way,” Jame says, pushing past you. The kid tries to run, but trips over his own feet and lands face first in the snow. “Come on, monster, let’s not be difficult.”
He reaches for the kid. You are about to stop him when Mary steps close to you and puts a hand on your shoulder. “Call it payment. For all the money we’ve invested in your ‘research’.”
The kid screams and struggles to get to his feet, and you throw the woman off of your shoulder and rush to be help him, only to feel yourself lifted a foot off the ground.
"heh, would'ja look at that… not every day you see a human fly."
The kid gets to his feet and makes a break for it. The three of you are left floating while the figure at the end of the ally stands relaxed, one hand in the air. You instantly recognize him and your heart sinks.
Sans lets the three of you down slowly.
"now then," he says "with that out of the way, maybe we can talk this out."